1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a putter alignment device and a novel method of using it. The invention more particularly relates to a putter alignment device which attaches quickly and easily to a putter for facilitating the improvement of putting skills in accordance with a novel method.
2. Background Art
Many types of putter alignment aids were known for improving a putting game of a golfer, including the putter aids disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,327,171; 1,556,062; 2,463,798; 3,198,525; 3,727,919; 4,053,160; 4,079,520; 4,116,448; 4,601,472; 4,712,798; 4,720,110; 4,722,528; 4,789,158; 4,844,468; 4,953,866; 5,071,129; 5,195,749; 5,509,657; 5,640,777; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,438; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,439.
For example, the following U.S. patents disclosed putter aids that attached to the shaft of a putter to help align the position of the putter to a position substantially normal to a path from the golf ball to a target such as a hole or pin: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,198,525; 4,053,160; 4,079,520; 4,116,448; 4,789,158; 5,071,129; and 5,509,657. By securing the putter aid to the shaft, the golfer was able to look downwardly while in a putting stance to determine if the putter was properly positioned.
Although the disclosed putter aids enabled the golfer to adjust the putter to a desirable putting position before stroking a golf ball, the putter aids required a precise attachment to the shaft to ensure the putter aid was positioned properly relative to the club face of the putter. Where the putter aid was not properly positioned, the golfer was liable to obtain inconsistent and erroneous conditioning regarding the proper position of the putter.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved putter alignment device which attaches quickly and easily to a putter, and which ensures the putter alignment device is properly positioned relative to the putter face. The putter alignment device can be used according to a novel method to permit the golfer to be conditioned for properly positioning the putter.
The following U.S. patents disclose putters having putting alignment devices integrated into theputterhead: U.S. Pat. No. 1,327,171; 2,463,798; 4,712,798; 4,722,528; 4,844,468; 4,953,866; 5,195,749; 5,640,777; 5,842,932; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,438; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,439. By incorporating the putter alignment device into the putter head, the proper alignment of the putter alignment device relative to the putter face was substantially ensured without further adjustments of the putter alignment device.
While the disclosed putter aids did not require alignment of the putting aid relative to the putter face, and thus facilitated the conditioning of the golfer for a proper putting technique, the putter aids rendered the corresponding putters unsuitable for use during competitive play. In this regard, the use of such putter aids during a game of golf is not ordinarily permitted. Consequently, a putter having an integral putter aid would be utilized to practice putting, while another putter, without a putter aid, would be used to play a game of golf. As the physical properties of the putter with the putter aid were different from those of the putter without the putter aid, the conditioning received by the golfer using the putter and putter aid combination was not particularly relevant when a different putter is used during an actual game.
Therefore, it would also be highly desirable to have a new and improved putter alignment device which enables a golfer to use the same putter both for practicing desired putting strokes to condition the golfer, and for playing a game of golf.
Putter aids which can be removed from a putter to enable the putter to be used for both practicing and playing are disclosed in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,556,062; 3,727,919; 4,601,472; and 4,720,110. With the exception of U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,110, the patents disclosing removable putter aids require special mounting provisions incorporated into a putter to enable the putter aids to be secured to the putter while practicing putting strokes. As a result, the disclosed putter aids are not adapted for use with all types and styles of available putters.
The putter aid of U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,110 utilized a magnet to affix the putter aid to the putter face, thereby enabling the putter aid to be adaptable to many types and styles of putters. However, the magnetic attachment of the putter aid would be susceptible to readjustment during practice, and would require constant supervision to ensure proper alignment was maintained. Moreover, some modem putters have plastic inserts, and thus magnetic attachments would not be possible.
Therefore, it would also be highly desirable to have a new and improved putter alignment device that can be used with many types and styles of putters, and should stay in position during use. Such a putter alignment device should be relatively light in weight, and should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
All prior known devices employing mirrors for assisting a golfer to practice putting skills have fallen short of being satisfactory because they all lacked the ability to assist the golfer to align accurately and precisely the putter club face relative to the ball and the target. The main reason for this is that the golfer's eyes must be positioned directly above the target line and both eyes must be paralleled thereto to enable the golfer to obtain a correct visual perception of the target in the mirror. Thus, even though the conventional putting training device indicated that the club face was properly aligned with the ball and the target, if the eyes of the golfer are not positioned directly above the target line and parallel therewith the putter would not, in fact, be properly aligned. Thus, a subsequent swing would not necessarily achieve the desired result of the ball following the desired target line. This is because the initial impact of the putter head on the ball is not executed in the proper manner, even though the golfer may think or have the misconception that the putter is properly aligned.
Thus, it is critical to have a putter alignment device be able to help ensure that the eyes of the golfer be positioned directly and precisely above and parallel to the target line when aligning the putter with the ball and the target.
Such an alignment device should fit a variety of different sizes and shapes of putter heads in a very secure manner. In this regard, various different conventional putter heads have various different configurations which make the attachment of a universal device difficult, if not impossible. Once attached, it must be retained tightly and securely, but releaseably, in place in precise alignment with the hitting surface of the putter face.